Data communication system and data communication apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to an aspect of the invention, a data communication system includes first and second data communication apparatuses, and a data server. The first data communication apparatus receives first data transmitted from a data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication, receives second data transmitted from the data server through a bidirectional communication, and generates output data based on at least one of the first and second data. The second data communication apparatus receives the second data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication, and transmits the second data to the data server through a bidirectional communication.

This application is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No.PCT/JP2018/028816, filed Aug. 1, 2018 and based upon and claiming thebenefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-154756,filed Aug. 9, 2017, the entire contents of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a data communication system and a datacommunication apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure monitors equipped with a function of transferring bloodpressure data to a user's portable information terminal have beenlaunched onto the market. As the portable information terminal, asmartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook personal computer, forexample, is used. By employing such a function, the user can view, onthe portable information terminal, the results of the measurements ofthe amounts related to the user's blood pressures in various situations.For the transfer of blood pressure data, short-range wirelesscommunication technology is typically used, Bluetooth (registeredtrademark) in particular. In general, Bluetooth-based communications(connections) can be implemented on a small scale and in a manner whichsaves power, as compared to wireless local area network (WLAN)communications. The Bluetooth specification Version 4.0, also calledBluetooth Low Energy (BLE), is capable of further reducing the powerconsumption, as compared to the legacy specifications.

BLE allows for bidirectional communications called “connections”.However, connections come with certain problems, such as the complexityof operations required of users for pairing; the complexity ofcommunication procedures following the pairing; the necessity for theportable information terminal side to support BLE; the necessity for theblood pressure monitor, as well as the portable information terminal, toinstall high-performance hardware (processor, memory, etc.); highdevelopment and appraisal costs; and unsuitability for low-capacity datatransmissions due to the heaviness of the communication overhead.

On the other hand, BLE also allows for unidirectional communicationscalled “advertising”. Japanese Patent No. 5852620 discloses a techniqueof transmitting an advertisement packet by including given data in amargin area of its data field.

SUMMARY

If the blood pressure monitor transmits blood pressure data through theemployment of advertising, a portable information terminal capable ofreceiving advertisements can receive the blood pressure data without theneed for pairing or subsequent complicated communication procedures.

However, in such unidirectional communications, there is a risk that theportable information terminal may fail to receive the blood pressuredata, depending on the communication situation. For example, if theblood pressure monitor is equipped only with a unidirectionaltransmission function, the state of the portable information terminal(e.g., the data reception status) cannot be referred to from the bloodpressure monitor. Thus, there is a risk that the portable informationterminal may fail to receive the blood pressure data.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique forincreasing the opportunity to receive data transmitted throughunidirectional communication, thus compensating for reception failures.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a data communicationsystem comprises first and second data communication apparatuses, and adata server which communicates with the first and second datacommunication apparatuses, wherein the first data communicationapparatus receives first data transmitted from a data transmittingapparatus through a unidirectional communication, receives second datatransmitted from the data server through a bidirectional communication,and generates output data based on at least one of the first and seconddata, the second data communication apparatus receives the second datatransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus through aunidirectional communication, and transmits the second data to the dataserver through a bidirectional communication, and the data serverreceives the second data transmitted from the second data communicationapparatus through a bidirectional communication, and transmits thesecond data to the first data communication apparatus through abidirectional communication.

According to the data communication system of the first aspect, sincethe first data communication apparatus is provided with an opportunityto receive data from the data transmitting apparatus either directly orindirectly through the employment of both unidirectional andbidirectional communications, it is possible to increase the opportunityto receive data from the data transmitting apparatus. In the first datacommunication apparatus, since the output data is generated based on atleast one of the first data received through a unidirectionalcommunication with the data transmitting apparatus and the second data(transmitted by the data transmitting apparatus) received through abidirectional communication with the data server, it is possible tocompensate for some or all of the data reception failures (or increasethe possibility of the compensation) when reception of at least one ofthe first data and the second data has failed. When at least one of thefirst data and the second data cannot be received by the first datacommunication apparatus due to the communication status, the output datacan be generated based on the other data that has been received.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the first datacommunication apparatus generates the output data by removal of one ofthe duplicated items of data included in the first and second data.

According to the data communication system of the second aspect, sinceoutput data is created in the first data communication apparatus by theremoval, if applicable, of one of the duplicated items of data includedin the output data, it is possible to overcome the inconveniences causedby the inclusion, such as the increase in the amount of output data andthe difficulty of utilizing the output data.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the first and second datainclude biological data.

According to the data communication system of the third aspect, it ispossible, when reception of biological data has failed, to compensatefor some or all of the reception failures of the biological data (orincrease the possibility of the compensation) in the first datacommunication apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the first datacommunication apparatus receives the second data from the data serverthrough a periodic bidirectional communication.

According to the data communication apparatus of the fourth aspect, itis possible to increase the opportunity for the first data communicationapparatus to receive second data through a periodic bidirectionalcommunication, thereby increasing the possibility of receiving thesecond data.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the first datacommunication apparatus transmits the first data to the data serverthrough the bidirectional communication, based on the reception of thefirst data.

According to the data communication apparatus of the fifth aspect, it ispossible to allow the first data communication apparatus to relay firstdata, transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus through aunidirectional communication, to a data server through a bidirectionalcommunication. This allows the data server, which cannot directlyreceive the first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatusthrough a unidirectional communication, to receive the first datatransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a data communicationapparatus comprises a receiving unit which receives first datatransmitted from a data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectionalcommunication, a transmitting and receiving unit which receives seconddata transmitted from a data server through a bidirectionalcommunication, a data generating unit which generates output data basedon at least one of the first and second data, the second data is datatransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus through theunidirectional communication, received by another data communicationapparatus different from the data communication apparatus, andtransmitted to the data server from said another data communicationapparatus.

According to the data communication apparatus of the sixth aspect, sincean opportunity is provided to receive data from the data transmittingapparatus either directly or indirectly through the employment of bothunidirectional and bidirectional communications, it is possible toincrease the opportunity to receive data from the data transmittingapparatus. Since the output data is generated based on at least one ofthe first data received through a unidirectional communication with thedata transmitting apparatus and the second data (transmitted by the datatransmitting apparatus) received through a bidirectional communicationwith the data server, it is possible to compensate for some or all ofthe data reception failures (or increase the possibility of thecompensation) when reception of at least one of the first data and thesecond data has failed. When at least one of the first data and thesecond data cannot be received due to the communication status, theoutput data can be generated based on the other data that has beenreceived.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the data generating unitgenerates the output data by removal of one of duplicated items of dataincluded in the first and second data.

According to the data communication apparatus of the seventh aspect,since output data is created by the removal, if applicable, of one ofthe duplicated items of data included in the output data, it is possibleto overcome the inconveniences caused by the inclusion, such as theincrease in the amount of, and difficulty of utilizing the output data.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the first and seconddata include biological data.

According to the data communication apparatus of the eighth aspect, itis possible, when reception of biological data has failed, to compensatefor some or all of the reception failures of the biological data (or toincrease the possibility of the compensation).

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the transmitting andreceiving unit receives the second data from the data server through aperiodic bidirectional communication.

According to the data communication apparatus of the ninth aspect, it ispossible to increase the opportunity to receive second data through aperiodic bidirectional communication, thereby increasing the possibilityof receiving the second data.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the data communicationapparatus comprises a relay control unit which performs control totransmit the first data to the data server through the bidirectionalcommunication, based on the reception of the first data by the receivingunit.

According to the data communication apparatus of the tenth aspect, it ispossible to relay first data, transmitted from the data transmittingapparatus through a unidirectional communication, to a data serverthrough a bidirectional communication. This allows the data server,which cannot directly receive the first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication, toreceive the first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide atechnique for increasing the opportunity to receive data transmittedthrough a unidirectional communication, thus compensating for receptionfailures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an application example of adata communication system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the datacommunication system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a data transmitting apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configurationof the data transmitting apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the data communication apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configurationof the data communication apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a data server according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configurationof the data server according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating advertising performed in BLE.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a packettransmitted and received in BLE.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a PDU field of anadvertisement packet.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a flowchart illustrating anexample of a data reception operation of the data communicationapparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a relay operation of a datarelay device according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an aspect of the presentinvention (also referred to as “present embodiment” hereinafter) will bedescribed, with reference to the drawings.

Elements that are the same as, or similar to, elements already describedwill be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and redundantdescriptions will be basically omitted.

§ 1 APPLICATION EXAMPLE

An application example of the present invention will be described, withreference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 schematically shows an application exampleof a data communication system according to the present embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 1, the data communication system includes a datatransmitting apparatus 100, a data communication apparatus 200 a, a datarelay apparatus 200 b, and a data server 300. The data communicationapparatus (first data communication apparatus) 200 a may operate as adata relay apparatus, and the data relay apparatus 200 b may operate asa data communication apparatus (second data communication apparatus).For example, the data communication apparatus 200 a and the data relayapparatus 200 b may have the same configuration and respectively operateas a data relay apparatus and a data communication apparatus.

The data communication apparatus 200 a includes at least a receivingunit 201 a, a transmitting and receiving unit 202 a, a data generatingunit 203 a, and a data processing unit 204 a. The data relay apparatus200 b includes at least a receiving unit 201 b, a transmitting andreceiving unit 202 b, a data generating unit 203 b, and a dataprocessing unit 204.

The units of the data communication apparatus 200 a (the receiving unit201 a, the transmitting and receiving unit 202 a, the data generatingunit 203 a, and the data processing unit 204 a) correspond to, forexample, the respective units of the data relay apparatus 200 b (thereceiving unit 201 b, the transmitting and receiving unit 202 b, thedata generating unit 203 b, and the data processing unit 204 b); thus,the description of the operation of each unit of the data relayapparatus 200 b will be omitted.

The receiving unit 201 a receives first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus 100. The data transmitting apparatus 100transmits, through a unidirectional communication compliant withcommunication standards such as BLE, a radio signal that carries thepacket defined by the standard, and the receiving unit 201 a receivesthe radio signal. The receiving unit 201 a sends the received signal tothe data generating unit 203 a. Since the data transmitting apparatus100 constantly transmits, for example, a radio signal that carries thepacket through a unidirectional communication, when the datacommunication apparatus 200 a enters a communication area of the datatransmitting apparatus 100, the receiving unit 201 a of the datacommunication apparatus 200 a receives the radio signal.

The transmitting and receiving unit 202 a receives the second datatransmitted from the data server 300. The data server 300 transmits thesecond data through a bidirectional communication compliant withcommunication standards such as mobile communications (3G, 4G, etc.) andWLAN, and the transmitting and receiving unit 202 a receives the seconddata. The transmitting and receiving unit 202 a sends the receivedsignal to the data generating unit 203 a. For example, the transmittingand receiving unit 202 a attempts an access to the data server 300through a periodic bidirectional communication, and receives the seconddata transmitted from the data server 300.

The data generating unit 203 a generates output data based on at leastone of the first data and the second data. The data generating unit 203a generates the output data by, for example, removing one of theduplicated items of data included in the first and second data. The datagenerating unit 203 a sends the output data to the data processing unit204 a.

The data processing unit 204 a sends the output data to a data storageunit (a data storage unit 206 a, to be described later with reference toFIG. 6) and a display control unit (a display control unit 208 a, to bedescribed later with reference to FIG. 6). The data storage unit 206 astores the output data. The display control unit 208 a generates displaydata based on the output data.

The second data is data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus100 through a unidirectional communication, received by the data relayapparatus 200 b (corresponding to another data communication apparatusdifferent from the data communication apparatus 200 a), and transmittedto the data server 300 by the data relay apparatus 200 b fortransmission to a transmission destination of the data communicationapparatus 200 a designated in advance. That is, the data server 300receives the second data transmitted from the data relay apparatus 200b, and transmits the received second data to the transmissiondestination of the data communication apparatus 200 a designated inadvance.

Both the first and second data may include, for example, biologicaldata, which may include blood pressure data.

The data communication apparatus 200 a receives the first datatransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100 through aunidirectional communication, which does not require pairing orcomplicated communication procedures. The data communication apparatus200 a receives either a subset or the entirety the first data. Thesubset or entirety of the first data received by the data communicationapparatus 200 a will also be referred to as “first reception data”.

The data relay apparatus 200 b also receives the first data transmittedfrom the data transmitting apparatus 100 through a unidirectionalcommunication, which does not require pairing or complicatedcommunication procedures. The data relay apparatus 200 b receives asubset or the entirety of the first data. The subset or entirety of thefirst data received by the data relay apparatus 200 b will also bereferred to as “second reception data”. The data server 300 receives thesecond reception data transmitted from the data relay apparatus 200 b,and transmits the second reception data to the data communicationapparatus 200 a, through a bidirectional communication. The datacommunication apparatus 200 a receives the second reception data througha bidirectional communication.

Thus, the data communication apparatus 200 a receives the firstreception data through a unidirectional communication, and receives thesecond reception data through a bidirectional communication. Asdescribed above, the first reception data is a subset or the entirety ofthe first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100, andbecomes the subset or entirety of the first data according to the stateof communications between the data transmitting apparatus 100 and thedata communication apparatus 200 a. For example, if the state ofcommunications is favorable (and unlikely to cause loss of data), thefirst reception data is highly likely to be the entirety of the firstdata; if the state of communications is not favorable (and likely tocause loss of data), the first reception data is highly likely to be asubset of the first data.

The second reception data is a subset or the entirety of the first datatransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100, and becomes thesubset or entirety of the first data according to the state ofcommunications between the data transmitting apparatus 100 and the datarelay apparatus 200 b. For example, if the state of communications isfavorable (and unlikely to cause loss of data), the second receptiondata is highly likely to be the entirety of the first data, and if thestate of communications is not favorable (and likely to cause loss ofdata), the second reception data is highly likely to be a subset of thefirst data. Even if the first reception data is a subset of the firstdata and the second reception data is a subset of the first data, thefirst reception data and the second reception data are not necessarilythe same. This is because the first reception data depends on the stateof communications between the data transmitting apparatus 100 and thedata communication apparatus 200 a, and the second reception datadepends on the state of communications between the data transmittingapparatus 100 and the data relay apparatus 200 b.

The data generating unit 203 a generates output data based on at leastone of the first and second reception data received. For example, thedata generating unit 203 a generates the output data by removal of oneof the duplicated items of data included in the first and secondreception data. Even if the first reception data is a subset of thefirst data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100, and thesecond reception data is a subset of the first data transmitted from thedata transmitting apparatus 100, the loss of such data included in atleast one of the first and second reception data can be prevented.

When, for example, the first user who owns the data communicationapparatus 200 a is constantly distant from the data transmittingapparatus 100, and the first user who owns the data communicationapparatus 200 a has few opportunities to remain stationary within thecommunication area of the data transmitting apparatus 100, the firstreception data received by the data communication apparatus 200 a tendsto be a subset of the first data transmitted from the data transmittingapparatus 100. In addition, when the second user who owns the data relayapparatus 200 b frequently stays in the proximity of the datatransmitting apparatus 100, or the second user who owns the data relayapparatus 200 b remains stationary within the communication area of thedata transmitting apparatus 100, the second reception data received bythe data relay apparatus 200 b tends to be the entirety of the firstdata transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100. In such acase, it may be possible to generate output data corresponding to thefirst data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100 basedonly on the second reception data. Alternatively, there is a case whereoutput data corresponding to the first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus 100 can be generated, by the removal of one ofthe duplicated items of data included in the first and second receptiondata.

§ 2 CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE

<Data Communication System>

An example of the data communication system according to the presentembodiment will be described, with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is aconceptual diagram illustrating a data communication system includingthe data transmitting apparatus 100, the data communication apparatus200 a, the data relay apparatus 200 b, and the data server 300 accordingto the present embodiment.

The data transmitting apparatus 100 is a sensor device that routinelymeasures an amount related to biological information or activityinformation of the user, such as a blood pressure monitor, athermometer, an activity tracker, a pedometer, a body composition scale,and a weight scale. The data transmitting apparatus 100 is a device thatallows for unidirectional communications such as BLE. In the example ofFIG. 2, the appearance of a stationary blood pressure monitor is shownas the data transmitting apparatus 100; however, the data transmittingapparatus 100 is not limited thereto, and may be a wristwatch-typewearable blood pressure monitor, or other sensor device that measuresthe amount related to biological information or activity information.The data transmitting apparatus 100 transmits, through unidirectionalcommunications, measurement data indicating an amount related tobiological information or activity information. It is to be noted thatthe measurement data corresponds to the transmission data (first data).

The data communication apparatus 200 a is a portable informationterminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. The data communicationapparatus 200 a is an apparatus used mainly to enable wirelesscommunications, such as BLE, mobile communications (3G, 4G, etc.), andWLAN.

The data communication apparatus 200 a receives, as the first receptiondata, the first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus100 through a unidirectional communication such as BLE. As describedabove, the first reception data is either a subset or the entirety ofthe first data. The data communication apparatus 200 a receives secondreception data transmitted from the data server 300 through abidirectional communication, via a network through the employment ofmobile communications or WLAN. The data communication apparatus 200 atransmits first reception data to the data server 300 through abidirectional communication, via a network through the employment ofmobile communications or WLAN.

The data relay apparatus 200 b is a portable information terminal suchas a smartphone or a tablet. The data relay apparatus 200 b is anapparatus used mainly to enable wireless communications, such as BLE,mobile communications (3G, 4G, etc.), and WLAN.

The data relay apparatus 200 b receives, as the second reception data,the first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100through a unidirectional communication such as BLE. As described above,the second reception data is either a subset or the entirety of thefirst data. The data relay apparatus 200 b receives the first receptiondata transmitted from the data server 300 through bidirectionalcommunications, via a network through the employment of mobilecommunications or WLAN. The data relay apparatus 200 b transmits thesecond reception data to the data server 300 through a bidirectionalcommunication, via a network through the employment of mobilecommunications or WLAN.

The data server 300 may be a database that manages, based on the firstand second reception data, biological information or activityinformation of a large number of users.

<Data Transmitting Apparatus>

[Hardware Configuration]

Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the data transmittingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described,with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of ahardware configuration of the data transmitting apparatus 100 accordingto the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the data transmitting apparatus 100 is a computer inwhich a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication interface113, an input device 114, an output device 115, an external interface116, a battery 117, and a biological sensor 118 are electricallyconnected. In FIG. 3, the communication interface and the externalinterface are respectively denoted as “communication I/F” and “externalI/F”.

The control unit 111 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), etc. The CPU is anexample of a processor. The CPU expands a program stored in the storageunit 112 into the RAM. When the CPU interprets and executes thisprogram, the control unit 111 can execute various information processingoperations, such as the processes of functional blocks to be describedin item “Software Configuration”.

The storage unit 112 is a so-called “auxiliary storage device”, and maybe, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a built-in or externalflash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD). Thestorage unit 112 stores programs to be executed by the control unit 111,data to be used by the control unit 111, etc. Programs can also bereferred to as instructions for operating the control unit 111.

The communication interface 113 includes at least a wireless module thattransmits (advertises) a packet through a unidirectional communicationsuch as BLE. The BLE advertising will be described later. The wirelessmodule receives, from the control unit 111, an advertisement packet inBLE in which the transmission data is stored. The wireless moduletransmits an advertisement packet. The wireless module is also referredto as a “transmitting unit”. It is to be noted that, in the future, BLEmay be replaced by other communication standards that allow for lowpower consumption and unidirectional communications. In that case, thefollowing description may be suitably varied.

The input device 114 is a device for accepting user inputs made via atouch screen, buttons, switches, etc.

The output device 115 is, for example, a device for making outputs froma display, a speaker, etc.

The external interface 116 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, amemory card slot, etc., and is an interface for connection to anexternal device.

The battery 117 supplies a power-supply voltage for the datatransmitting apparatus 100. The battery 117 may be replaceable. It is tobe noted that the data transmitting apparatus 100 may be connectable toa commercial power supply via an alternating-current (AC) adapter. Inthis case, the battery 117 can be omitted.

The biological sensor 118 obtains measurement data by measuring anamount related to the user's biological information. The operation ofthe biological sensor 118 is controlled by, for example, anunillustrated sensor controller. The measurement data is stored in thestorage unit 112 in association with the date-and-time data. Thebiological sensor 118 typically includes a blood pressure sensor thatobtains blood pressure data by measuring an amount related to the user'sblood pressure. In this case, the measurement data includes bloodpressure data. The blood pressure data may include, for example, valuesof the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the diastolic blood pressure(DBP), as well as the pulse rate, but is not limited thereto. Inaddition, the measurement data can include electrocardiogram data, pulsewave data, body temperature data, etc.

The blood pressure sensor can include a blood pressure sensor(hereinafter also referred to as a “continuous blood pressure sensor”)capable of continuously measuring an amount related to the user's bloodpressure per beat. The continuous blood pressure sensor may continuouslymeasure an amount related to the user's blood pressure from a pulsetransit time (PTT), or may implement continuous measurement through thetonometry technique or other techniques.

The blood pressure sensor may include a blood pressure sensor thatcannot perform continuous measurements (hereinafter also referred to asa “discontinuous blood pressure sensor”), either in place of or inaddition to the continuous blood pressure sensor. A discontinuous bloodpressure sensor measures an amount related to a user's blood pressureusing, for example, a cuff as a pressure sensor (oscillometric method).

A discontinuous blood pressure sensor (in particular, an oscillometricblood pressure sensor) tends to provide higher measurement accuracy thana continuous blood pressure sensor. Thus, the blood pressure sensor maybe configured to measure the blood pressure data with high precision,triggered by satisfaction of a certain condition (e.g., when the user'sblood pressure data obtained by measurement of the continuous bloodpressure sensor indicates a predetermined state), by operating adiscontinuous blood pressure sensor in place of a continuous bloodpressure sensor.

It should be noted that, regarding the specific hardware configurationof the data transmitting apparatus 100, the components can be suitablyomitted, replaced, or added, according to the embodiment. The controlunit 111 may include, for example, a plurality of processors. The datatransmitting apparatus 100 may be configured of a plurality of sensordevices.

[Software Configuration]

Next, an example of a software configuration of the data transmittingapparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described,with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of asoftware configuration of the data transmitting apparatus 100.

The control unit 111 in FIG. 3 expands the program stored in the storageunit 112 into the RAM. Thereafter, the control unit 111 causes the CPUto interpret and execute the program, and controls various hardwareelements shown in FIG. 3. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the datatransmitting apparatus 100 functions as a computer including an inputunit 101, a transmission control unit 102, a transmitting unit 103, adata acquisition unit 104, a data management unit 105, a data storageunit 106, a display control unit 107, a display unit 108, a power-supplycontrol unit 109, and a power-supply unit 110.

The data acquisition unit 104 acquires biological data output from thebiological sensor 118, and outputs the acquired biological data to thedata management unit 105.

The data management unit 105 receives the biological data, and writesthe received biological data into the data storage unit 106. Also, thedata management unit 105 generates, based on a user input, a packetcontaining transmission data, and inputs the packet to the transmissioncontrol unit 102. The transmission data includes biological data anddate-and-time data associated with the biological data. A configurationmay be adopted in which the transmission control unit 102 generates apacket in advance regardless of a user input, the data storage unit 106stores data in the packet, and the transmission control unit 102 reads,based on the user input, the packet from the data storage unit 106 toallow the packet to be input to the transmission control unit 102.

The data management unit 105 may read the biological data stored in thedata storage unit 106, triggered by an instruction from the transmissioncontrol unit 102 or the display control unit 107, and then transmit thebiological data to the transmission control unit 102 or the displaycontrol unit 107.

The data storage unit 106 stores biological data written by the datamanagement unit 105. The data storage unit 106 stores the packet writtenby the data management unit 105. When biological data is newly stored,the data management unit 105 may automatically send the biological datato the display control unit 107.

The input unit 101 accepts user inputs. For example, the input unit 101accepts a first user input that instructs transmission of first data,and sends the first user input to the transmission control unit 102,etc. The input unit 101 accepts a second user input that instructstermination of the operation, and sends the second user input to thetransmission control unit 102, etc. The input unit 101 accepts a thirduser input that controls data display on the display unit 108 and afourth user input that instructs commencement of measurement by thebiological sensor 118.

Based on the first user input, the transmission control unit 102instructs execution of transmission of the packet, and inputs thegenerated packet or the packet read from the data storage unit 106 tothe transmitting unit 103. For example, the transmission control unit102 instructs, based on the first user input, repeated transmission ofthe packet over a period of time until the second user input isaccepted.

In the case of instructing execution of transmission of the packet, thetransmission control unit 102 notifies the data management unit 105 ofthe unique identification information of the packet, and the datamanagement unit 105, based on the notification, manages the packet asone which has already been transmitted.

The transmitting unit 103 transmits, through a unidirectionalcommunication compliant with a communication standard such as BLE, aradio signal that carries a packet defined by the standard. Based on aninstruction to repeatedly transmit a packet, for example, thetransmitting unit 103 repeatedly transmits (advertises) a packet forunidirectional communications.

The display control unit 107 generates display data based on the userinput from the input unit 101 and the data from the data management unit105, and inputs the generated display data to the display unit 108. Thedisplay unit 108 displays an image based on display data input from thedisplay control unit 107. For example, the display control unit 107reads, based on the third user input, biological data from the datastorage unit 106 and generates display data for the display unit 108based on the read biological data. The display unit 108 then displays animage corresponding to the biological data based on the generateddisplay data.

The power-supply control unit 109 commences, based on the user inputthat instructs commencement of supply of the power-supply voltage fromthe input unit 101, the supply of the power-supply voltage, andinstructs, based on the user input that instructs termination of thesupply of the power-supply voltage from the input unit 101, thetermination of the supply of the power-supply voltage.

The power-supply unit 110 commences the supply of the power-supplyvoltage based on the instruction to commence supply of the power-supplyvoltage from the power-supply control unit 109, and terminates thesupply of the power-supply voltage based on the instruction to terminatethe supply of the power-supply voltage from the power-supply controlunit 109.

<Data Communication Apparatus>

[Hardware Configuration]

Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the data communicationapparatus 200 a according to the present embodiment will be described,with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of ahardware configuration of the data communication apparatus 200 a. Thedata communication apparatus 200 a and the data relay apparatus 200 bmay have the same configuration; in the present embodiment, a case willbe described where the data communication apparatus 200 a and the datarelay apparatus 200 b have the same configuration, and the descriptionof the hardware configuration of the data relay apparatus 200 b will beomitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the data communication apparatus 200 a is a computerin which a control unit 211 a, a storage unit 212 a, a communicationinterface 213 a, an input device 214 a, an output device 215 a, and anexternal interface 216 a are electrically connected. In FIG. 5, thecommunication interface and the external interface are respectivelydenoted as “communication I/F” and “external I/F”.

The control unit 211 a includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc. The CPU is anexample of a processor. The CPU expands the program stored in thestorage unit 212 a into the RAM. When the CPU interprets and executesthis program, the control unit 211 a can execute various informationprocessing operations, such as the processes of functional blocks to bedescribed in item “Software Configuration”.

The storage unit 212 a is a so-called auxiliary storage device, and maybe, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a built-in or externalflash memory. The storage unit 212 a stores programs to be executed bythe control unit 211 a, data to be used by the control unit 211 a, etc.Programs can also be referred to as instructions for operating thecontrol unit 211 a.

The communication interface 213 a includes various wirelesscommunication modules, which are mainly for BLE, mobile communications(e.g., 3G and 4G), WLAN, etc. The communication interface 213 a mayfurther include a wired communication module such as a wired local areanetwork (LAN) module. The communication module for BLE receives, fromthe data transmitting apparatus 100, first reception data (e.g., anadvertisement packet) through a unidirectional communication. Thecommunication module for BLE may also be referred to as a “receivingunit”.

A communication module for mobile communications, WLAN, etc. receivessecond reception data including measurement data from the data server300 through a bidirectional communication. When a communication modulefor mobile communications, WLAN, etc. receives second reception datafrom the data server 300 through a bidirectional communication, thecommunication module may be referred to as a “transmitting and receivingunit”. A communication module for mobile communications, WLAN, etc.transmits first reception data to the data server 300 throughbidirectional communication. When a communication module for mobilecommunications, WLAN, etc. transmits the first reception data to thedata server 300 through a bidirectional communication, the communicationmodule may be also referred to as a “relay unit”.

The input device 214 a is a device for accepting a user input such as atouch screen.

The output device 215 a is, for example, a device for making outputsfrom a display, a speaker, etc.

The external interface 216 a is a USB port, a memory card slot, etc.,and is an interface for connection to an external device.

It should be noted that, regarding the specific hardware configurationof the data communication apparatus 200 a, the components can besuitably omitted, replaced, or added, according to the embodiment. Forexample, the control unit 211 a may include a plurality of processors.The data communication apparatus 200 a may be configured of a pluralityof information processing devices. As the data communication apparatus200 a, a general-purpose tablet personal computer (PC), etc., as well asan information processing device designed exclusively for the servicesto be provided, may be used.

[Software Configuration]

Next, an example of a software configuration of the data communicationapparatus 200 a according to the present embodiment will be described,with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of asoftware configuration of the data communication apparatus 200 a. Thedata communication apparatus 200 a and the data relay apparatus 200 bmay have the same configuration; in the present embodiment, a case willbe described where the data communication apparatus 200 a and the datarelay apparatus 200 b have the same configuration, and the descriptionof the software configuration of the data relay apparatus 200 b will beomitted.

The control unit 211 a in FIG. 5 expands the program stored in thestorage unit 212 a into the RAM. Thereafter, the control unit 211 acauses the CPU to interpret and execute the program, and controlsvarious hardware elements shown in FIG. 5. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6,the data communication apparatus 200 a functions as a computer includinga receiving unit 201 a, a transmitting and receiving unit 202 a, a datagenerating unit 203 a, a data processing unit 204 a, a relay controlunit 205 a, a data storage unit 206 a, an input unit 207 a, a displaycontrol unit 208 a, and a display unit 209 a.

The receiving unit 201 a receives a radio signal that carries a packetfrom the data transmitting apparatus 100 through a unidirectionalcommunication. This packet is, for example, an advertisement packet inBLE. It is to be noted that, in the future, BLE may be replaced by othercommunication standards that allow for low power consumption andunidirectional communications. In that case, the following descriptionmay be suitably varied.

A schematic description of BLE advertisement will be given below.

In the passive scanning mode adopted in BLE, a new node periodicallytransmits advertisement packets to indicate its presence, as illustratedin FIG. 9. By entering a sleep state, which consumes low power, the newnode can conserve power consumption during the period from transmissionof an advertisement packet to transmission of a subsequent advertisementpacket. Since the receiver side of advertisement packets operateintermittently, the power consumption incurred in transmission andreception of advertisement packets is low.

FIG. 10 shows a basic configuration of a BLE wireless communicationpacket. A BLE wireless communication packet contains a 1-byte preamble,a 4-byte Access Address, a 2-to-39-byte (variable) Protocol Data Unit(PDU), and a 3-byte Cyclic Redundancy Checksum (CRC). The length of theBLE wireless communication packet depends on the length of the PDU, andranges from 10 to 47 bytes. A 10-byte BLE wireless communication packet(with a 2-byte PDU) is also called an “Empty PDU packet”, and isperiodically exchanged between the master and the slave.

The preamble field is prepared for synchronization in BLE wirelesscommunications, and stores repetitions of “01” or “10”. For the AccessAddress, fixed numerical values are stored in an advertising channel,and random numbers are stored in a data channel. In the presentembodiment, an advertisement packet that is a BLE wireless communicationpacket to be transmitted on the advertising channel is targeted. The CRCfield is used for detection of reception errors. The range ofcalculation by the CRC is only the PDU field.

Next, the PDU field of an advertisement packet will be described, withreference to FIG. 11.

The PDU field of an advertisement packet contains a 2-byte header and a0-to-37-byte (variable) payload. The header further includes a 4-bit PDUType field, a 2-bit unused field, a 1-bit TxAdd field, a 1-bit RxAddfield, a 6-bit Length field, and a 2-bit unused field.

A value indicating the type of the PDU is stored in the PDU Type field.Some values such as “connectable advertising” and “non-connectableadvertising” have been defined. A flag indicating whether or not atransmission address is present in the payload is stored in the TxAddfield. Similarly, a flag indicating whether or not a reception addressis present in the payload is stored in the RxAdd field. In the Lengthfield, a value indicating the byte size of the payload is stored.

The payload can store given data. Accordingly, the data transmittingapparatus 100 stores the biological data and the date-and-time data inthe payload using a predetermined data structure. The data structure mayinclude, for example, an identifier indicating the user, an identifierindicating the data transmitting apparatus 100 from which the data istransmitted, an identifier indicating the data communication apparatus200 a (or the data relay apparatus 200 b) for which the data isdestined, the date-and-time data, and one or more types of measurementdata such as the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic bloodpressure associated with the date-and-time data, the pulse rate, and theamount of activity.

Returning to the description of the software configuration of the datacommunication apparatus 200 a, the receiving unit 201 a performsreception processing including low-noise amplification, filtering,down-conversion, etc. on a radio signal, and obtains a reception signalin the intermediate frequency bandwidth or the baseband bandwidth. Thereceiving unit 201 a sends the first reception data included in thereception signal to the data generating unit 203 a.

The receiving unit 201 a reproduces a BLE advertisement packettransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100 by performingdemodulation and decoding on the reception signal. Thereafter, thereceiving unit 201 a extracts the PDU payload from the BLE advertisementpacket.

By checking, for example, the identifier (indicating the apparatus fromwhich the measurement data is transmitted or the valid destination)contained in the payload, the receiving unit 201 a may discard thereceived packet if the value of the identifier is inappropriate. If thevalue of the identifier is appropriate, the receiving unit 201 a inputsthe data extracted from the BLE advertisement packet to the datagenerating unit 203 a. The receiving unit 201 a inputs the extracteddata to the data generating unit 203 a based on, for example, advancesettings (data generation settings).

The transmitting and receiving unit 202 a receives the second receptiondata from the data server 300 through bidirectional communications, andinputs the second reception data to the data generating unit 203 a basedon advance settings (data generation settings).

The data generating unit 203 a generates output data based on at leastone of the first and second reception data. For example, the datagenerating unit 203 a generates the output data by removal of one of theduplicated items of data included in the first and second receptiondata. Thereby, the loss of the first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus 100 can be compensated for. The data generatingunit 203 a sends the output data to the data processing unit 204 a.

The processing of removing one of the duplicated items of data includedin the first and second reception data will be described. The packettransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100 contains, forexample, biological data and date-and-time data associated with thebiological data. The data generating unit 203 a determines, from theitems of biological data included in the first and second receptiondata, that the items of biological data associated with the samedate-and-time data are duplicated items of data, and generates outputdata by removing one of the duplicated items of data. When the packettransmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 100 contains biologicaldata and identification data associated with the biological data, thedata generating unit 203 a determines, from the items of biological dataincluded in the first and second reception data, that the items ofbiological data associated with the identical identification data areduplicated items of data, and generates output data by removal of one ofthe duplicated items of data.

The data processing unit 204 a sends the output data to the data storageunit 206 a. The data storage unit 206 a stores the output data. Thedate-and-time data and the biological data, for example, included in theoutput data are stored in association with each other. When a readrequest is received, the stored output data is output.

In accordance with an instruction from, for example, an unillustratedhigh-order application (e.g., an application that manages biologicaldata), the data processing unit 204 a reads output data stored in thedata storage unit 206 a, and inputs the read output data to the displaycontrol unit 208 a.

The display control unit 208 a generates display data based on theoutput data, and inputs the generated display data to the display unit209 a. The display unit 209 a displays an image based on display datainput from the display control unit 208 a.

The data generating unit 203 a does not execute data generation, basedon in-advance settings (in which data generation is unset and data relayis set). The data processing unit 204 a inputs the first reception datato the relay control unit 205 a, based on in-advance settings (in whichdata generation is unset and data relay is set). The relay control unit205 a performs control to transmit the first reception data to the datarelay apparatus 200 b, which is a preset destination apparatus, via thedata server 300 through bidirectional communications. The transmittingand receiving unit 202 a transmits the first reception data to the dataserver 300 through bidirectional communications, according to thecontrol of the relay control unit 205 a.

<Data Server>

[Hardware Configuration]

Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the data server 300according to the present embodiment will be described, with reference toFIG. 7. FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the data server 300 according to the presentembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the data server 300 is a computer in which a controlunit 311, a storage unit 312, a communication interface 313, an inputdevice 314, an output device 315, and an external interface 316 areelectrically connected. In FIG. 7, the communication interface and theexternal interface are respectively denoted as “communication I/F” and“external I/F”.

The control unit 311 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), etc. The CPU is anexample of a processor. The CPU expands a program stored in the storageunit 312 into the RAM. When the CPU interprets and executes thisprogram, the control unit 311 can execute various information processingoperations, such as the processes of functional blocks to be describedin item “Software Configuration”.

The storage unit 312 is a so-called auxiliary storage device, and maybe, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a built-in or externalflash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD). Thestorage unit 312 stores programs to be executed by the control unit 311,data to be used by the control unit 311, etc. Programs can also bereferred to as instructions for operating the control unit 311.

The communication interface 313 includes various wireless communicationmodules, which are mainly for mobile communications (e.g., 3G and 4G),WLAN, etc. The communication interface 313 may further include a wiredcommunication module such as a wired local area network (LAN) module. Acommunication module for mobile communications, WLAN, etc. receivessecond reception data transmitted from the data relay apparatus 200 bthrough a bidirectional communication, and transmits second receptiondata to the data communication apparatus 200 a through bidirectionalcommunications. In this case, the communication module may also bereferred to as a “transmitting and receiving unit”. Alternatively, acommunication module for mobile communications, WLAN, etc. receivesfirst reception data transmitted from the data communication apparatus200 a through a bidirectional communication, and transmits firstreception data to the data relay apparatus 200 b through bidirectionalcommunications. In this case, the communication module is sometimesreferred to as a “relay unit”.

The input device 314 is a device for receiving user inputs such as atouch screen, buttons, and switches.

The output device 315 is, for example, a device for making outputs froma display, a speaker, etc.

The external interface 316 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, amemory card slot, etc., and is an interface for connection to anexternal device.

It should be noted that, regarding the specific hardware configurationof the data server 300, the components can be suitably omitted,replaced, or added, according to the embodiment. For example, thecontrol unit 311 may include a plurality of processors.

[Software Configuration]

Next, an example of the software configuration of the data server 300according to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 8. FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of the softwareconfiguration of the data server 300.

The control unit 311 in FIG. 7 expands the program stored in the storageunit 312 into the RAM. Thereafter, the control unit 311 causes the CPUto interpret and execute the program, and controls various hardwareelements shown in FIG. 7. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the data server300 functions as a computer including a transmitting and receiving unit302, a data processing unit 304, a relay control unit 305, and a datastorage unit 306.

The transmitting and receiving unit 302 receives second reception datatransmitted from the data relay apparatus 200 b through bidirectionalcommunications, and outputs the second reception data to the dataprocessing unit 304. The data processing unit 304 inputs the secondreception data to the data storage unit 306, and the data storage unit306 stores the second reception data. The data processing unit 304inputs the second reception data to the relay control unit 305, and therelay control unit 305 performs control to transmit the second receptiondata to the data communication apparatus 200 a based on advance settings(settings for relay from the data relay apparatus 200 b to the datacommunication apparatus 200 a). The transmitting and receiving unit 302transmits the second reception data to the data communication apparatus200 a through bidirectional communications.

The transmitting and receiving unit 302 receives the first receptiondata transmitted from the data communication apparatus 200 a throughbidirectional communications, and outputs the first reception data tothe data processing unit 304. The data processing unit 304 inputs thefirst reception data to the data storage unit 306, and the data storageunit 306 stores the first reception data. The data processing unit 304inputs the first reception data to the relay control unit 305, and therelay control unit 305 performs control to transmit the first receptiondata to the data relay apparatus 200 b based on advance settings(settings for relay from the data communication apparatus 200 a to thedata relay apparatus 200 b). The transmitting and receiving unit 302transmits the first reception data to the data relay apparatus 200 bthrough bidirectional communications.

<Others>

In the present embodiment, an example has been described where thefunctions of the data transmitting apparatus 100, the data communicationapparatus 200 a, the data relay apparatus 200 b, and the data server 300is realized by a general-purpose CPU. However, some or all of the abovefunctions may be realized by one or a plurality of dedicated processors.Regarding the software configuration of each of the data transmittingapparatus 100, the data communication apparatus 200 a, the data relayapparatus 200 b, and the data server 300, functions may be suitablyomitted, replaced, or added according to the embodiment.

§ 3 EXAMPLE OF OPERATION

<Data Communication Apparatus>

Next, an example of the data receiving operation of the datacommunication apparatus 200 a will be described, with reference to FIG.12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a data receivingoperation of the data communication apparatus 200 a. It is to be notedthat the processing procedure to be described below is merely anexample, and each process may be varied where possible. In theprocessing procedure to be described below, the steps may be suitablyomitted, substituted, and/or added, according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the receiving unit 201 a of the data communicationapparatus 200 a receives the first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus 100 through a unidirectional communication (stepS101, YES), and if the transmitting and receiving unit 202 a does notreceive the second data transmitted from the data server 300 through abidirectional communication (step S102, NO), the data generating unit203 a generates output data based on the first data (step S103), and thedata processing unit 204 a outputs the output data (step S104). The datastorage unit 206 a stores, for example, the output data. The displaycontrol unit 208 a generates, based on the output data, display data,and the display unit 209 a then displays the display data. The datacommunication apparatus 200 a receives a subset or the entirety of thefirst data, and the subset or the entirety of the first data received bythe data communication apparatus 200 a is the first reception data, asdescribed above. That is, the data generating unit 203 a generatesoutput data based on the first reception data.

The receiving unit 201 a of the data communication apparatus 200 areceives the first data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus100 through a unidirectional communication (step S101, YES), and if thetransmitting and receiving unit 202 a receives the second datatransmitted from the data server 300 through a bidirectionalcommunication (step S102, YES), the data generating unit 203 a generatesoutput data based on at least one of the first and second data (stepS105), and the data processing unit 204 a outputs the output data (stepS104). The subset or entirety of the first data received by the datacommunication apparatus 200 a is the above-described second receptiondata. That is, the data generating unit 203 a generates output databased on at least one of the first and second reception data.

If the receiving unit 201 a of the data communication apparatus 200 adoes not receive the first data transmitted from the data transmittingapparatus 100 through a unidirectional communication (step S101, NO) andthe transmitting and receiving unit 202 a receives the second datatransmitted from the data server 300 through a bidirectionalcommunication (step S106, YES), the data generating unit 203 a generatesoutput data based on the second data (step S107), and the dataprocessing unit 204 a outputs the output data (step S104). That is, thedata generating unit 203 a generates output data based on the secondreception data.

<Data Relay Apparatus>

Next, an example of a relay operation of the data relay apparatus 200 bwill be described, with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchartillustrating an example of a relay operation of the data relay apparatus200 b. It is to be noted that the processing procedure to be describedbelow is merely an example, and each process may be varied wherepossible. In the processing procedure to be described below, the stepsmay be suitably omitted, substituted, and/or added, according to theembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, the receiving unit 201 b of the data relayapparatus 200 b receives first data transmitted from the datatransmitting apparatus 100 through a unidirectional communication (stepS201, YES). At this time, the data relay apparatus 200 b receives asubset or the entirety of the first data, and the subset or the entiretyof the first data received by the data relay apparatus 200 b is theabove-described second reception data. If bidirectional communicationswith the data server 300 are possible (step S202, YES), the transmittingand receiving unit 202 b transmits the second data (second receptiondata) to the data server 300 through bidirectional communications (stepS203).

If bidirectional communications with the data server 300 are notpossible (step S202, NO) and the retry time has been reached (step S204,YES), it is determined whether bidirectional communications with thedata server 300 are possible; if so, (step S202, YES), the transmittingand receiving unit 202 b transmits the second data (second receptiondata) to the data server 300 through bidirectional communications (stepS203).

[Functions and Effects]

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the datacommunication apparatus is provided with an opportunity to receive datafrom the data transmitting apparatus either directly or indirectlythrough the employment of both unidirectional and bidirectionalcommunications, it is possible to increase the opportunity to receivedata from the data transmitting apparatus. Since the output data isgenerated based on at least one of the first reception data receivedthrough a unidirectional communication with the data transmittingapparatus and the second reception data received through a bidirectionalcommunication with the data server, it is possible to compensate forsome or all of the data reception failures (or increase the possibilityof the compensation) when reception of at least one of the first dataand the second data has failed. When at least one of the first andsecond reception data cannot be received due to the communicationstatus, the output data can be generated based on the other data thathas been received. It is thus possible to provide high-value output datawith little or no leakage.

By allowing the person targeted for measurement of the blood pressuredata to own the data communication apparatus and a family member of thetargeted person to own the data relay apparatus, thereby providing aplurality of opportunities (multiple systems) to receive data from thedata transmitting apparatus, it is possible, when reception of data hasfailed, to compensate for some or all of the data reception failures (orincrease the possibility of the compensation).

§ 4 MODIFICATION

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detailabove; however, in every respect, the description given above is merelyan illustration of the present invention. As a matter of course, variousalternations and modifications can be made, without departing from thespirit of the invention. That is, in implementing the present invention,a specific configuration may be suitably adopted according to the aboveembodiment. The data appearing in the above embodiment has beendescribed with natural language; however, in actuality, it isrepresented by pseudo language, a command, a parameter, machinelanguage, etc. that can be recognized by a computer.

For example, in the present embodiment, a case has been described wherethe second reception data is transmitted to the data communicationapparatus via the data server from a single data relay device; however,a plurality of items of second reception data may be transmitted from aplurality of data relay apparatuses to the data communication apparatusvia the data server. By using a plurality of data relay devices, it ispossible to increase opportunities to receive data from the datatransmitting apparatus. It is thereby possible, when reception of datahas failed, to compensate for some or all of the data reception failures(or increase the possibility of the compensation).

The data relay device may be a gateway device. This gateway device is adevice that supports BLE and interconnects networks through the use ofdifferent network protocol technologies. The gateway device receivesdata from the data transmitting apparatus through unidirectionalcommunications, and accumulates the received data. Let us assume thatthe data accumulated in the gateway device is the third reception data.The gateway device transmits the third reception data to the data serverthrough a bidirectional communication.

The data communication apparatus receives the third reception dataaccumulated in the gateway device through a bidirectional communication.The data communication apparatus may receive third reception dataaccumulated in the data server through a bidirectional communication.The data communication apparatus generates output data based on at leastone of the above-described first reception data and third receptiondata. It is thereby possible to increase the opportunity to receive datafrom the data transmitting apparatus. It is thus possible, whenreception of data has failed, to compensate for some or all of the datareception failures (or increase the possibility of the compensation).

In the present embodiment, a case has been described where biologicaldata, etc. is transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus throughunidirectional communications; however, the data to be transmitted fromthe data transmitting apparatus through unidirectional communications isnot limited to biological data such as blood pressure data. For example,support information regarding the measurement may be transmitted fromthe data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication.The data communication apparatus may be configured to receive anddisplay the support information. The support information includes, forexample, information on at least one of the last date and time ofmeasurement and the period of time that has passed since the last dateand time of measurement. The support information may include individualidentification information (e.g., name). It is thereby possible toprompt the user of the data communication apparatus to measure theamount related to the blood pressure, etc. Since support information canbe received by any data communication apparatus compatible withunidirectional communications, if a data communication apparatus of auser other than a user who has been neglecting to measure the amountrelated to the blood pressure (hereinafter also referred to as a “bloodpressure measurement”) has received the support information, the userother than the user who has been neglecting to measure the bloodpressure may prompt the user who has been neglecting the blood pressuremeasurement to perform blood pressure measurement.

§ 5 ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTIONS

Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as in theadditional descriptions to be given below, as well as the claims;however, the embodiments are not limited thereto.

(Additional Description 1)

A data communication system comprising:

first and second data communication apparatuses; and

a data server which communicates with the first and second datacommunication apparatuses, wherein

each of the first and second data communication apparatuses and the dataserver includes:

a memory; and

a processor connected to the memory, and

the processor of the first data communication apparatus is configured tofunction as an apparatus that receives first data transmitted from thedata transmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication,receives second data transmitted from the data server through abidirectional communication, and generates output data based on at leastone of the first and second data,

the processor of the second data communication apparatus is configuredto function as an apparatus that receives the second data transmittedfrom the data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectionalcommunication, and transmits the second data to the data server througha bidirectional communication, and

the processor of the data server is configured to function as a serverthat receives the second data transmitted from the second datacommunication apparatus through a bidirectional communication, andtransmits the second data to the first data communication apparatusthrough a bidirectional communication.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100: Data transmitting apparatus-   101: Input unit-   102: Transmission control unit-   103: Transmitting unit-   104: Data acquisition unit-   105: Data management unit-   106: Data storage unit-   107: Display control unit-   108: Display unit-   109: Power-supply control unit-   110: Power-supply unit-   111: Control unit-   112: Storage unit-   113: Communication interface-   114: Input device-   115: Output device-   116: External interface-   117: Battery-   118: Biological sensor-   200 a: Data communication apparatus-   200 b: Data relay apparatus-   201 a: Receiving unit-   201 b: Receiving unit-   202 a: Transmitting and receiving unit-   202 b: Transmitting and receiving unit-   203 a: Data generating unit-   203 b: Data generating unit-   204: Data processing unit-   204 a: Data processing unit-   204 b: Data processing unit-   205 a: Relay control unit-   206 a: Data storage unit-   207 a: Input unit-   208 a: Display control unit-   209 a: Display unit-   211 a: Control unit-   212 a: Storage unit-   213 a: Communication interface-   214 a: Input device-   215 a: Output device-   216 a: External interface-   300: Data server-   302: Transmitting and receiving unit-   304: Data processing unit-   305: Relay control unit-   306: Data storage unit-   311: Control unit-   312: Storage unit-   313: Communication interface-   314: Input device-   315: Output device-   316: External interface

1. A data communication system comprising: first and second datacommunication apparatuses; and a data server which communicates with thefirst and second data communication apparatuses, wherein the first datacommunication apparatus receives first data transmitted from a datatransmitting apparatus through a unidirectional communication, receivessecond data transmitted from the data server through a bidirectionalcommunication, and generates output data based on at least one of thefirst and second data, the second data communication apparatus receivesthe second data transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus througha unidirectional communication, and transmits the second data to thedata server through a bidirectional communication, and the data serverreceives the second data transmitted from the second data communicationapparatus through a bidirectional communication, and transmits thesecond data to the first data communication apparatus through abidirectional communication.
 2. The data communication system accordingto claim 1, wherein the first data communication apparatus generates theoutput data by removal of one of the duplicated items of data includedin the first and second data.
 3. The data communication system accordingto claim 1, wherein the first and second data include biological data.4. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the firstdata communication apparatus receives the second data from the dataserver through a periodic bidirectional communication.
 5. The datacommunication system according to claim 1, wherein the first datacommunication apparatus transmits the first data to the data serverthrough the bidirectional communication, based on the reception of thefirst data.
 6. A data communication apparatus comprising: a receivingcircuit which receives first data transmitted from a data transmittingapparatus through a unidirectional communication; a transmitting andreceiving circuit which receives second data transmitted from a dataserver through a bidirectional communication; and a data generatingcircuit which determines, from items of biological data included in thefirst and second data, that items of biological data associated withidentical date-and-time data are duplicated items of data, and generatesoutput data based on the first and second data by removal of one of theduplicated items of data, wherein the second data is data obtained byanother data communication apparatus different from said datacommunication apparatus through reception of the first data transmittedfrom the data transmitting apparatus through the unidirectionalcommunication, and is data obtained by said another data communicationapparatus and transmitted to the data server.
 7. A data communicationapparatus comprising: a receiving circuit which receives first datatransmitted from a data transmitting apparatus through a unidirectionalcommunication; a transmitting and receiving circuit which receivessecond data transmitted from a data server through a bidirectionalcommunication; a data generating circuit which determines, from items ofbiological data included in the first and second data, that items ofbiological data associated with identical identification data areduplicated items of data, and generates output data based on the firstand second data by removal of one of the duplicated items of data,wherein the second data is data obtained by another data communicationapparatus different from said data communication apparatus throughreception of the first data transmitted from the data transmittingapparatus through the unidirectional communication, and is the dataobtained by said another data communication apparatus and transmitted tothe data server.
 8. The data communication apparatus according to claim6, wherein the transmitting and receiving circuit receives the seconddata from the data server through a periodic bidirectionalcommunication.
 9. The data communication apparatus according to claim 6,comprising a relay control circuit which performs control to transmitthe first data to the data server through the bidirectionalcommunication, based on the reception of the first data by the receivingcircuit.